Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-07-09

WASHINGTON.
A Loyal Woman's Salary Reduced
Presidential Talk.

their property and there has been no
fires. 1t has been a Fourth of July in
Washington city such as would have
made an average Dakota boy mad enough
go scalp-hunting. There has been no
even, except away out in
Rock Creek. Of all places in the world
that is unpatriotic this city takes the
cookey. There was a little bit ola parade
of q company OF colored militia. Aside
from that it has been like Sunday. The
government clerks have been abroad in
the land enriching the barkeepers and
preparing largeness of head for the NOR
row. Many a one Of those same clerks
will go to the department tomorrow bare
headed. Few of them will be able to
squeeze their number six hats IN to their
number twenty heads. That class Of
tirewater which they get in Washington
enlarges the head but dwindles the
brain.
The postmaster general has recently (
made q mistake-a grave error. Upon
the recommendation of the chief of the
stamp division and of the third assistant
postmaster general, he has reduced the
salary of Miss Van Lew, of Virginia, to
the lowest possible point. He did not
know, as he now does, who Miss Van
Lew is. She is the one loyal mi who
lived in Richmond during the war, and
who risked her life, day after day, for
the Union. She gave information to
N~c-k ryl,soI, ooxyoS <hn o1yar
ment thousands of lives and millions
of money. Gen. Grant vas always her
friend, and left letters testifying to her
worth on file in the war department..
During his presidency Grant made Miss
Van Lew postmistress at Richmond, and
she held that Office for eight years. Then
she was given a position in the postofice
department at Washington at $1,000 per
annum. 1t was the opinion of Gen.
Grant that she would be taken care of as
long as she lived. She is now aged and
feeble, and not a good clerk, but the
country can afford to take care of her,
and I believe that the postmaster general
will restore her, for 1 know he has
learned all about her within the last few
hours.
You all know about the appointment.
of Charlie Frost to an Office in the land
department. 1t was telegraphed several
days ago. 1t is not known. however,
that Frost is on intimate terms with
Sparks. He came here for an Office ove
a year ago, and has been hero continue
o,,e1rr 1,1ou r:,,no HI NJ NJ n u, oo,,11y
stage Of the game that he had no chance
for an Office, and he went into tho claim
agency business and dropped all idea of
Office. While attending to his business
he became we'll acquainted with Sparks.
The old gentleman formed 4 very high
estimate of Frost's ability, spent a good
deal of time with him, and finally %
Guided that he wanted him for an Office.
One day early in June he preached the
subject to Frost, asking him to take a
special agency. Frost considered tho
matter, and finally consented to accept
and go Oh a mission Of some Importance
to Washington Territory. There is a
class of work to be done out there that
Sparks believes that Frost is we'll calcu-
lated to do, and hence lie has gone. But
the Office was not of his seeking.
Governor Church is not as popular in
Washington as he was. He is not rs
we'll thought of at the white house as he
was. Reports have conc here which arc
exceedingly damaging to him politically,
and it is pretty we'll understood that the
president expected something better
from him than he has accomplished.
There seems to be no complaint of the
governor personally. but some Of his APP
pointments have been exceedingly inju-
dicious.
The battle flag business is conceded
now on all hands to have been q BOOM
erang order killing Cleveland, but that
it has not injured the solid south. This
seems to be the cool Judgment of all
whose opinions are worth anything.
A prominent western senator, a Dem
ocratic leader, too, said some very inter-
esting things this afternoon. Referring
to political possibilities and probabili-
ties he said,
II am a great friend and admircr OF
Mr.. Blaine. 1 am a Democrat and he is
a Republican, but 1 am one Of his strong
est friends. I am we'll assured that Mr..
Blaine does not seek a denomination at
the hands of his party. He has had all
the honors that a party can confer upon
any a He is a superior man and q
great man. The world knows it. There
fore Mr.. Blaine seeks no new honors,
But he does have a strong personal feel
ing to the effect that he did beat Mr.,
Cleveland and that he can beat him. II
our party nominate Cleveland in 1883
Mr.. Blaine will want to run against him.
But if the Democrats nominats II other
man Blaine will not want to run. That
is about the status of affairs so far as
B~laineeis concerned"
"What do you think of the chances O.
Allison, Sherman, Harrison and Hawley
as Republican candidates ?"
II have nothing worth saying about
those gentlemen. Excepting Sherman
neither one of them is an acknowledged
party leader. Allison is Blaine's leea.
tee. If Blaine cannot have the nomina.
ton in the event that he should want it
he will do what he can to hand it oyer tt
Allison. We Democrats can beat ALI
son with almost any man we choose t
nominate. Allison would have all o
Blaine's fights On his hands, and he coule
not handle them as we'll as Blaine could
Iln 10 a noo1 ,n.> 49, -. ~..oA .,.>